I want to grow a garden but don't know how to start! 10 pts for most helpful answer!?

Getting Started:

I would try to buy my pots and soils from a local nursery. The big box stores will have better prices so maybe buy the pots from them and get the plants from a local supplier. You'll form a relationship, get better advice and support local businesses.

What Types?

Grow the things that you can't get at the store:

Good tomatoes

Herbs and specialty greens.

Anything old or heirloom like peppers or eggplant.

Hanging garden systems can be fine, just keep them moist.

Sun?

You need 6 hours of direct sun without tree shadows, minimum!

Most important is the size of the pots. If you live on the ground floor this is easier. The pots should be big, 14 inches across at the rim. The pot size will dictate how much water the plant can access. Food crops need a lot of water. A larger pot will not have to be watered so often and will work much better that many small pots. Don't be afraid to mix different plants in the same pot. Have fun with it!

Good Luck!

Wells Rawls

http://www.ecolandscapegroup.com/

You can start with vegetables in pots. Just about any vegetable you can grow in the ground can be grown in a pot, as long as the pot is big enough, including herbs, radishes, lettuce, etc. Tomatoes, eggplants and pepper plants are especially good. You'll need to have an area that gets at least 8 hours of sun a day. I wouldn't try the upside-down tomato plant holders, but regular hanging pots work well, especially for cherry tomatoes. I've even seen cucumbers grow on trellises. When you're planting tomatoes or pepper plants, be sure to use big pots, and only plant one per pot. Use a cup of Miracle-Gro for each plant (Miracle-Gro for Tomatoes is wonderful for tomatoes, eggplants and peppers--they're all in the nightshade family). You should stake your tomato and pepper plants to keep them from falling over--it not only makes them easier to pick, but they also don't take over the porch that way.

Since you live in College Station, why not go the the Agricultural Extension Service at Texas A&M for help? You've got one of the best resources in the world right there in your city.

I would go to a nursery, a home improvement store or even Wal-Mart to buy the planters and potting soil (I know Home Depot has organic potting soil). I would get my plants at the nursery since they are more likely to be organic than a mass retailer.

Depending on what you like, you could grow a "pizza" garden with tomatoes, basil, oregano and other Italian herbs. I like to plant vegetables and flowers together, so a pizza garden would be red, green and white.

Peppers grow really well in containers, ranging in heat from bell to hotter than any human could possibly eat and live.

I've never had much luck with hanging tomatoes, since they use a lot of water. Plus it is really windy where I live, which dries them out even faster.

Get a book for self-watering containers, from the library, I`ve used these books with great success! Grow red & yellow chilli peppers, the grow well and look awesome! You can make self-watering containers from pails, they work well, and cost nothing just find some pails. Self waterers are great for tomatoes!

go to walmart buy your pots and plants be sure pots have good drainage put piece broken pot or stone over hole. tomatoes are good, eggplant, okra. basil is easy, just be sure to keep blossoms pinched out. basil gets bitter when it goes to flower, pinching make it bushy too. hanging tomatoes to great, i'd recomend a patio type, smaller than big boy, bigger than cherry, nice in salad.

check out Square Foot Gardening. See if you can hang a few Topsy Turvy planters around.

/jabril

reserch in the library